Firefighters gather at the scene of a small plane crash in Rancho Palos Verdes at the shoreline near Trump National Golf Club. (Chuck Bennett / Staff Photographer)

A pilot sustained non-life threatening injuries when the small plane he was flying crash-landed in Rancho Palos Verdes late Friday morning at the shoreline near Trump National Golf Club, officials said.

The plane is registered to a company that rents out banner advertising that appeals to beachgoers.

The pilot, who was not identified, told authorities he had a mechanical failure after taking off from Compton/Woodley Airport and was forced to try to land on Portuguese Bend Beach, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Vicki Stuckey.

The plane, a Piper PA-18 Super Cub, was found upside down on the beach at around 11:45 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email.

Stuckey said the pilot was able to walk off the plane on his own. She said he sustained some sort of head injury.

Stuckey said the pilot was treated at the scene by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and local lifeguards. He was then transported to a local hospital, she said.

Kenitzer said the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. He said the NTSB is the lead agency.

Kenitzer said the NTSB likely will release a preliminary report within about two weeks. But he said it likely will be several months before the agency releases a probable cause.

The plane — N224T — is registered to Van Wagner Aerial Media LLC based in Hollywood, Fla., according to the website flightaware.com. The company specializes in aircraft banner advertising, according to its website. Company officials could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.